


Etched Upon My Heart

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Category: Revenge (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Murder, Canonical Minor Character Death, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Community: smallfandombang, Daniel Grayson - Freeform, F/M, Happy Ending, Romance, Victoria Grayson - Freeform, Whump, background canonical Daniel/Emily, small fandom bang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:46:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23491903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: Soulmate AU. Nolan is sceptical of soulbonds until Amanda Clarke returns to the Hamptons bearing the name Emily Thorne, the name that's written on his skin. As they work to bring Victoria to justice, the only way for Emily to be free of the past, Nolan finds himself deeply in love with Emily. Even if the bond is not reciprocal, he'll risk everything for Emily's happiness, including his own life.
Relationships: Jack Porter & Nolan Ross, Nolan Ross/Emily Thorne
Comments: 7
Kudos: 33
Collections: Small Fandoms Bang Round Nine





	1. one: finding your soulmate was no guarantee of happiness

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my artist tiggeratl1 for their truly amazing work and all their support and encouragement. You can visit their [art page](https://tiggeratl1.dreamwidth.org/613.html) to see all the art and leave them a comment!  
> And thanks to the SFBB mod for running another phase of the Bang.

_one: Finding your soulmate was no guarantee of happiness_

Nolan Ross found the idea of a soulmate laughable. That the universe could insist that another person was to be the love of your life seemed ridiculous; and there were plenty of failed marriages between those with each other's names inscribed upon their skin that only proved his point.

You were not the same person at ten years old as at eighteen, at twenty eight, thirty five. In essence, perhaps, but your life was shaped not only by nature but by nurture and by experiences, by every choice made, every path not taken. You might get a name on your flesh at nineteen, but who could predict what sort of person you'd be at twenty seven when you met your soulmate?

What happened if, at eighteen you were faced with discovering the person you were supposed to marry, before you felt you'd had the chance to discover yourself? Many spoke of feeling that so many choices seemed to have been taken away.

There were countless happy ever after stories involving soulmates in the world. There were other stories, of hurt, of murder, of suicide. Finding your soulmate was no guarantee of happiness. Besides, even if he'd had a mark, Nolan felt he was not the marrying type.

Still, sometimes he found himself wondering if he'd get a name - some people never did, and they were often seen as destined to be lonely (though sometimes envied for having no expectations and a freedom others lacked). Would it be a male name or a female name? Maybe it wouldn't be obvious, something like Lex Smith. Maybe it would be so common a name that it would be almost useless, or maybe it would be unique and undeniable. For years it was mere idle speculation.

Then one morning he felt a prickle across his skin while he showered. He glanced down to see a deep navy scrawl. The soulmate mark had appeared on his chest. He jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, used a facecloth to wipe at the mirror to clear the steam. He peered at the name, trying to read the reflected writing.

The small, neat, elegant script sat in a pleasing upward curve over his heart.

Emily; a woman then. Thorne. It had a strong quality to it that he found pleasing.

Still, he went to the lounge and sank into a chair. This was unexpected and not particularly welcome.

Nolan did not tell anyone about the mark, which was easily hidden under his shirt. That the mark wasn't clearly visible was a blessing. It wasn't as if he had a lot of friends to tell either. Any true friends, come to think of it.

Insecurities from his past, from his high school bullies to his father's casting him aside rose to haunt his present. What would this Emily Thorne want with him, the internet freak?

He shook his head. He wasn't that scared boy, that apologetic young man any longer. He was Nolan Ross, rich and powerful, proud bisexual, smart–at least when it came to technology–and if Emily didn't want him then so be it. Screw the universe's plans.  
Yet after a week he gave in and began searching for Emily Thornes. His tech skills let him access every social media account on the planet and a number of official databases. He discarded the under 18's and those significantly older than him; once your soulmate mark appeared it meant the relationship was possible, and for the former it was out of the question, and for the latter he'd have expected his mark to appear sooner. He excluded the ones in happy marriages, refusing to believe he was fated to break up a relationship, as well as the two who identified as lesbians on their social media profiles.

Of the two remaining after he'd filtered the results as much as he could, one was a fashion student in Paris and the other was a juvenile prisoner.

Nolan used the official soulmate matchmaker agency to contact Fashion Student Emily. They'd reach out to her on his behalf, keeping him anonymous and asking if she'd got her soulmate mark yet.

A week later the response came back; she hadn't.

Two months after that the agency sent him a regretful communication. Fashion Student Emily had been in touch to let them know she'd got her mark and was now engaged to her soulmate.

If his other option was a juvenile delinquent who, Nolan found after some very illegal digging, had been imprisoned for stabbing her foster father, Nolan decided he was probably better off without a soulmate.

Several months passed before Amanda Clarke, daughter of Nolan's friend and mentor David Clarke, contacted him. She herself had been put in juvenile detention for allegedly starting a fire (something she denied, and Nolan believed her) and it had gnawed at Nolan that he had no way of getting her out. He'd made discreet enquiries about becoming her foster parent but he was unmarried and not a great prospect outside of his wealth–there were, he realised, also people working against him, against Amanda. The same people that Amanda had always thought were guilty of framing her father; a far fetched notion that, over the years, Nolan had come to believe in.

"I'm coming to the Hamptons," Amanda said. "To enact my revenge. Everyone who helped frame my father and are complicit in his death will pay."

"I'll help."

"I don't need you help. I just need you not to blow my cover."

She hung up. Nolan sighed. He'd insisted she take the money owed to her, owed to her father, a fair share of the profits from NolCorp which wouldn't exist without David Clarke's help. But she wouldn't accept anything else from him. It stung that the daughter of the man who'd been almost a surrogate father to Nolan wanted nothing to do with him.

When Amanda arrived she took Nolan's breath away. She'd fully matured since he last saw her, not an angry teen now but a self-assured woman. Beautiful, elegant, dressed as finely as any woman in the Hamptons.

"Stop staring," she said, giving him a glimpse of the old Amanda.

"Sorry. It's been so long, Amanda."

"Don't call me that," she said. "I've changed my name. I had to, obviously, for this scheme to work."

"So what do I call you, my lady?" he asked, making a flourish with one hand like a courtier greeting a guest.

His blood ran cold and his head spun when she said, "Emily Thorne."


	2. two: the name of the woman he'd have loved even without the mark

Nolan did not tell Emily about his soulmate mark. For one thing she might kill him. (He was only half-joking when he thought that. Nothing could get in the way of her plans to avenge her father.)

For another he wasn't sure if the name did refer to her, to this Emily née Amanda. He did some more research, when he wasn't working on his own business or trying to help Emily with her quest. She tried at first to keep him at a distance, but he had loved David Clarke too. He wanted justice, and furthermore he could help, having the means and know-how to assist her. While it soon became obvious that Emily had developed a whole range of skills including physical combat, Nolan would always have the upper hand when it came to anything technological. Not to mention that he was a familiar fixture in the Hamptons, could supplement Emily's research with local gossip, and was invited, or could obtain invitations, to events where a newcomer was not yet welcome.

Reluctantly at first Emily accepted his help. Nolan liked to think she appreciated him, not just for his usefulness, but as someone who knew the truth and was on her side.

One evening he asked, "Do you have a soulmate mark?" and hoped his tone was casual enough that it did not raise suspicion.

Emily was sat on the sofa in the beach house, a glass of white wine in her hand. "No," she said without hesitation. She sipped her drink before she asked, "You?"

Nolan shook his head, preferring not to lie out loud. He moved from the window, where he'd been watching the distant waves, and sat next to her.

"Does Daniel have one?" He thought it would have been all over the press by now if so. Paparazzi using long-lensed cameras to scrutinize Daniel Grayson every time he went for a swim meant that either Daniel didn't have a mark (yet), was very good at covering at it (cosmetics that could cover scars and tattoos worked just as well for this purpose), or it was located in the area covered by swim trunks (unusual but not impossible.)

"Not that I've seen," Emily said. "Not on his arms or chest or back, the usual places."

"Better for you then," Nolan said. "What would it say, if it were you?"

Emily tipped her head. "What do you mean?"

"Pretend you were his soulmate."

She pulled a face. "Hardly a positive scenario," she said. "And unlikely to be reciprocal."

"I know. Just bear with me. Would the mark say Emily Thorne or would it say Amanda Clarke? I mean," Nolan said, anxious to seem nonchalant, "it would reveal the truth if it said Amanda."

Emily thought about this for a moment. Nolan watched her, entranced by her beauty in the firelight.

"I did some reading," Nolan said, getting to his feet and moving to pour himself a drink. "If you change your name then that's usually, if not always, the name that appears as a soulmate mark. Or if your name is Franklin Vincent Smith but everyone calls you Vinnie, then Vinnie Smith is what is more likely to show up."

Emily shrugged. "You seem to know more about this than I do. I've not put much thought into it. I have far more important things to worry about than some ridiculous mark."

Nolan agreed and returned to sit alongside her.

She was Emily to him, that much was certain. It made things easier and safer to only ever refer to her as Emily Thorne out loud. But he did so even in the privacy of his own head. The woman sat next to him wasn't the angry young Amanda, but the poised Emily. Still angry but she'd mastered that fury and honed it into a weapon. It was terrifying and delightful both at once.

Nolan did not want to end up on her hit list because he'd fall victim to her red Sharpie incredibly easily.

He'd already, despite his best efforts at rationalising his feelings and distracting himself from them, fallen victim to a deep and undeniable attraction to Emily.

Perhaps he could blame it on the soulmate mark. There were all sorts of stories about the bond it created between soulmates, all anecdotal and incredibly varied, from sensing each other's moods or even their pain, to a psychic bond that amounted to mind reading. A closeness unlike any other, an overwhelming sense of love and happiness; these were reported most often, so much so that Nolan agreed with the many psychologists who suspected this feeling was a sort of social hysteria, love imbued with more meaning because that's what people expected from their soulmate.

Love had always made people fanatical and made them write poems and love songs about the way it made the world seem brighter and colours more vivid, and soulmates insisted their love was stronger, purer, better and so insisted their love made them see auras and feel sensations like fireworks, like stardust in their veins, like floating on air.

Nolan wouldn't go to such extremes, but he knew that being close to Emily made him feel warm inside, comforted by her presence no matter what the circumstances.

Emily reached past him to put down her empty glass, the black double infinity tattoo on her wrist eye-catching against her pale flesh. It was the same symbol inscribed on the railing of the veranda outside, a reminder of her father, a declaration of eternal love.

"Nolan?"

"Hmm?" He'd got distracted.

"I'm going to head up to bed. I've got a hair appointment early tomorrow before that brunch I was telling you about."

He nodded, finished his wine. "Good night."

"Good night."

He'd give anything for a kiss on the cheek, given or received. He left without one. The chilly night air on his brief stroll home did nothing to cool his longing for physical contact.

He sat up until 2am reading more stories about the ways people had tried to remove their soulbond, sometimes by removing their mark. Most of these stories did not have happy endings.

Nolan ran his fingers over his shirt, over the neat script that emblazoned his chest with the name of the woman he would almost certainly have loved even without the mark, who was also the one woman he shouldn't want at all, one utterly out of bounds and out of his league.


	3. three: infinity times infinity

The brunch was useful enough, Emily getting the information she wanted and sowing seeds of discontent as intended. She went back to the beach house and changed out of her smart attire into practical sportswear and tied back her hair.

She went for a jog along the beach, enjoying the sunshine, working harder against the soft sand than if she'd pounded along a sidewalk.

Her thoughts drifted to Nolan and his odd line of conversation last night. She knew he'd once said in an interview that he didn't put any stock in soulmates because he didn't believe in destiny. Talent, practice, hard work, luck, and proving your worth to gain support from others; these were things he could believe in. He thought much the same applied to love. Attraction, effort in putting yourself out there, luck to find the right person, working at the relationship, providing and getting support.

The interviewer had taken this as a sign that Nolan didn't have a soulmate mark and he'd replied, "You got me. No marks, no tattoos, just this scar from skateboarding."

By skateboarding, he'd confessed to Emily last week when she'd been teasing him about sports, he meant tripping over his Playstation many years ago and cutting his leg upon the edge of a side table. Though he had been playing Pro Skater so it must count.

She'd laughed and now she smiled afresh at the memory. Nolan was easy to like. A self-confessed nerd with a unique fashion sense and a kind smile, he'd become more self-assured over the years and he could be kind and generous but, like Emily, had a ruthless streak that wouldn't let him tolerate injustice.

Nolan now supported Emily and her plans in a way she'd never expected and their shared love for David Clarke gave them a connection she didn't have with anyone else.

She had always felt that way. She'd been angry at the world and rude to him when he came to meet her on her release from juvenile detention. She'd taken the shares but left Nolan behind while she made choices and plans. She'd trained and prepared for this scheme, a long game that would be worth it in the end, feeling that she had to do this alone.

Still, she'd contacted Nolan before showing up in the Hamptons, unable to deny their connection. She hadn't wanted him mixed up in all this but it was obvious he intended to help and better he assisted her than get in her way or get himself in unexpected trouble.

Emily was keeping a lot of secrets. It was nice to have someone who knew some of them, though he must never know them all.

She paused for a breather, did some stretching, and then headed home.

Emily took a long warm shower after her run. She pulled on a loose sweater and comfortable slacks and made herself a coffee. She took the drink outside, leaned on the railing of the veranda.

Near her elbow was the double infinity symbol her father had carved into the wood. It was the same symbol inscribed upon the infinity box holding the information she needed to bring him justice.

"Infinity times infinity". How much he loved her, his love endless and eternal.

She blinked away unwelcome tears, took a sip of coffee.

The same symbol was inked on her skin, a reminder of her vow to enact revenge on his behalf, a symbol of a destiny she'd chosen. She couldn't bring her father back but she could expose the truth and clear his name. She and Nolan would succeed. They had to.


	4. four: no matter the circumstances or the risks

"Do you know that 34.2% of people never develop a soulmate mark?" Nolan asked, leaning on the bartop.

Jack put a beer in front of Nolan, who was on one of his 'ordinary people' outings and forgoing a cocktail. "I do. I am one of those in fact."

Nolan reeled off a few more statistics about failed marriages, the rare marks that faded away overnight, marks that appeared only much later in life, people who had two marks, and more. Jack listened politely while he tidied up behind the bar. It had been a quiet night and there was only one other couple sitting at a table near the back of the room, and one customer engrossed with his phone, so Nolan benefited from Jack's almost total attention.

When Nolan finally paused and took a sip of beer, Jack said, "Did you get a mark?"

Nolan cleared his throat and tried to look innocent. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because I've never known you care about the subject and now you're an expert in it," Jack said. "Come on, admit it. You got a mark, didn't you? It's okay, I won't be jealous."

Nolan hesitated.

"Is it me?" Jack asked in mock excitement. He leaned over and batted his eyelashes. "I know we're friends but this is so unexpected. But being a billionaire's boyfriend sounds like the most amazing opportunity."

Nolan laughed as Jack had intended. Jack grinned and began wiping down the bar.

"All right. But you can't tell anyone else."

"I swear," Jack said, hand over heart. "Bartender's honour."

Nolan glanced around the room to check that they weren't being observed. He sighed. "I did get my mark."

"Congratulations." Jack frowned when Nolan did not share his enthusiasm. "Not congratulations?"

"I don't know. It happened a little while ago and I did some research," Nolan admitted. "I wasn't keen on the idea to begin with and it seemed my mark would go unmatched."

"Until recently?"

"Exactly." Nolan took a swig of beer. "I mean, I don't think they have a mark. But I saw them. Met them."

Jack put aside the cloth. "And you don't feel any attraction to them?" He was sympathetic and Nolan appreciated that.

"It's more that I think I do. I know I do. But I don't think they feel the same way."

"You're sure?"

Nolan shook his head. "They've shown no interest in me romantically. I admit I haven't shown them my mark because it would make things complicated, but they haven't approached me either, so I'm afraid to mention it."

"Is this a work thing? Boss and employee, could get messy. You're right to be cautious."

Nolan nodded, accepting the out Jack had given him, thankful that he hadn't jumped to the correct Emily-centric solution.

"There are some platonic soulbonds," Jack said. "Not so risky. And like you said, it's a lot more complicated than two people having each other's names on their skin. I don't think it's destiny. I think it's more like, an opportunity."

"Go on," Nolan said.

Jack frowned, gathering his thoughts. "Suppose you had astronaut on your skin as a destiny. If you want to go into space and have the right aptitude and support from those around you then that opportunity is something you work towards, feeling that you're meant for this and letting that feeling push you harder."

That made sense and Nolan nodded.

Jack went on, "However if you don't want to go into space despite possessing the skills, you won't apply to NASA. And if you do want that destiny but you're terrible at math and science or you're taking care of your family and can't put the work in, then you won't become an astronaut. Or maybe you end up being an astronomer instead, still looking at the stars but from another perspective. It's a potential path but you have choices and circumstances that surround that so-called destiny."

Nolan tipped his head. "Did you want to be an astronaut?"

"For about six months when I was seven years old," Jack said. "But it wasn't going to happen. And that's okay. And even if it had been possible, maybe when it came down to it I would have found it wasn't what I wanted. The dream was maybe better than the reality."

Nolan finished his beer while he thought about that. "So don't get too caught up about the what-ifs? My soulbond will happen with my soulmate or it won't, or it might happen but not in the way I think it will?"

"Sure," Jack said. "I just think it's a lot of pressure for some people. They get the mark and they feel trapped, like it's a snare and not an opportunity. That's probably the reason for so many of those failed soulmate marriages you were talking about. I'd hate to see you feel that way. You're someone who chooses their own path, makes things happen, stands out from the crowd. Not someone who'd fall into a relationship because of some mark on your skin. In fact I'd have put you down as someone who'd rebel against it."

He smiled. "Thank you. I promise I won't be making any hasty decisions. If it were your name on my skin I'd know we're already good friends, and that's something valuable."

Nolan had another drink before he walked home, lost in thought, beneath a clear sky filled with stars.

Jack was right. There were times Nolan refused to bow to conventional wisdom and ploughed his own field. He'd been willing to give up on Emily Thorne when he'd first researched the candidates.

But when he'd found the Emily Thorne his mark referred to everything had changed. And no matter the circumstances or the risks or the statistics, he longed for her to tell him that she wore his name and that they were in some way meant for each other.


	5. five: she felt an unwanted pang of loneliness

Nolan couldn't even remember what charity event this afternoon's fundraiser was for. He'd donated a suitable amount of money, applauded the "up and coming new singer" who'd performed a song he'd never heard, and was now sipping champagne while a more traditional quartet played a waltz.

Emily was dancing with Daniel, gazing into his eyes as if he was the only man in the world. It was pretence but she was good at pretending. Nolan shouldn't be jealous but part of him was. He wanted to have his hand on the small on Emily's back, the fingers of his other hand entwined with hers. He wanted her to look at him that way, and, furthermore, for the feelings behind that look to be genuine.

Victoria, meeting and greeting her way around the open air venue, paused and stood at his side for a moment.

"They make a lovely couple," she said. She didn't mean it and she wasn't quite as good as Emily at pretending. Nolan wondered if Victoria wanted to spread word that she approved of the match because she planned to sabotage the courtship and wanted to provide herself with a sort of alibi to the contrary.

Alibi, Latin for elsewhere. Nolan pondered that for a millisecond, trying to decide what the more appropriate term would be. Something meaning "other feelings" rather than "elsewhere"? Perhaps this was more about motive, to stay within the legal terminology.

On the other hand maybe Victoria was genuinely trying to like Emily, faking it until she made it. There were worse matches out there. Emily, with Nolan's help, was squeaky clean on paper, with just a couple of parking tickets to give her record more realism and in one case to place her at a scene when she needed people to believe she'd been there. A false alibi. His thoughts were going in circles.

That happened more frequently since Emily had arrived in town.

"Yes," Nolan said, as neutrally as he could manage. Victoria gave him a sly smile and moved off. Was it possible she'd noticed his discomfort and wanted to twist the knife, even though they could have bonded over a shared dislike for this romance? That sounded like something from Victoria's playbook, being cruel for the thrill of it.

He put down his unfinished drink and headed out, glancing at his phone to excuse his rush to leave, business, you know how it is. Not that anyone asked or cared. Not even Emily, and why would she? She had business of her own here, and she was doing an admirable job.  
Nolan went to his office and did the bare minimum of paperwork before he used his CEO privileges and immersed himself in an MMORPG instead.

Victoria hated Emily and it was clear in every fake smile and honeyed word dripping with barely concealed acid. That was fine with Emily. She hated Victoria with every fibre of her being for the betrayal of David Clarke.

In fact Victoria hating her seemed to encourage Daniel further, another way to rebel against his mother.

So Emily was quietly pleased to see Victoria's thinly veiled contempt for her, even as Daniel danced closely with her, murmuring that Emily was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. The strength of his sentiments might have been emboldened by the amount of drinks he'd had.

She was less pleased to see Victoria approach Nolan, concerned that she was needling him. She was troubled that Nolan seemed pensive, distant. She vowed to talk to him later, to check in on him.

Despite her best intentions they'd become close. There was no denying that she cared deeply for him and he for her. But they both understood that she had a mission here. Daniel had to be her focus.

"I keep looking," Daniel said.

"Hmm?"

"For my mark," he clarified. "I love you. Your name should be on my skin, Emily."

"You know having a soulmate mark is no guarantee of eternal love," she said, trying to downplay the importance of a mark while being thrilled he wanted her so much. Her seduction was going perfectly.

"It's special," Daniel said, slurring a little. "It says the universe wants us together. Maybe I'll get one."

"One what?"

"Mark. Get a tattoo. Put your name on me. What do you think?"

Emily looked him in the eyes. "I think your mother would hate it," she said, shifting any responsibility to Victoria.

Daniel scoffed. Emily pasted on a smile and they danced for a while longer.

It was only when she went to get another drink while Daniel greeted one of his friends that she realised Nolan had left the party without her seeing him go, and felt an unwanted pang of loneliness.


	6. six: but it was the best idea he had

"I married Jack," Emily said, staring at the flames in the fireplace, hands clasped around a mug of cocoa.

Nolan, next to her on the sofa of the beach house, nearly choked on his own drink. "What?"

She gave him a mischevious smile. "Years ago. When we were children. The last time I was happy, when I was here on vacation with my father. Jack and I played together every day and we decided to have a wedding. We got dressed up and I had a ring, the whole nine yards. Jack said he hoped I was his soulmate."

She shook her head, moved by the nostalgia.

"He hasn't got a mark, if it helps," Nolan offered; Jack wasn't meant for someone else.

"Doesn't matter," she said. "We were children. At best it was a crush. I have other priorities now. I mean, I haven't even told him the truth about who I am."

Nolan nodded.

"Part of me thinks it's to protect him," she said. "To give him some distance from all this. Part of it is me not wanting to give him false hope that I'm his childhood sweetheart for the summer come back to romance him for real. But I think part of it is that I don't want to spoil my memories of that time with Jack by having him look at me with disappointment. If I tell him then I'll have to reveal my plans and I don't think he'll approve. I don't want to see the look of distaste on his face whenever I think of him and have it mar those precious innocent times I hold onto."

Nolan's heart ached for her. "You told me the truth," he said softly.

"That's different. We weren't close back then. You share my desire for vengeance." She gazed at him. "You've never looked at me with distaste or horror. Even when you disagree, you never look at me like a monster."

"I could never see you as a monster." Nolan shifted position. "Ems, I will never look at you with disappointment. I want to know the truth, always. I want to stand at your side, always."

Emily shook her head. "Don't get emotional on me," she said, half-teasing, and took refuge in her cocoa.

Nolan sighed and sat back.

"Do you want more cocoa?" Emily asked at last.

He shook his head.

"What about a brandy?"

"I could be persuaded," he agreed.

She took away the mugs and returned with glasses of amber liquid. They sat in relaxed silence for a while, Nolan holding the glass against his chest, head tipped back against the sofa.

"Ems? Was that really the last time you were happy? That vacation?"

It was a horrible thought that she'd never known happiness since but given her harsh exterior and cold blooded drive for revenge it made sense.

"Yes. I mean, there's been good days," she said, holding the bowl of the glass in one hand to warm it. "But it's eaten at me every day since my father's arrest, the unfairness of it, everything we both went through. I can't truly be happy until his name is cleared."

"Then we'll clear his name, whatever the cost."

Emily reached over with her free hand and placed it on his knee, a silent but welcome acknowledgement of his vow.

Nolan wanted to help Emily more than ever. He'd given her the Infinity box, as David Clarke had wanted, and given her whatever assistance she'd asked for, and tried to do more even when she didn't want him to.

Their conversation last night had shown him how deeply wounded Emily truly was. She could never be happy until David Clarke's name was cleared. She'd shed or at least transformed her whole identity, created this new life, to make it happen.

Maybe she thought she could turn the clock back afterwards, become Amanda Clarke again. Nolan doubted that. She wasn't the same person now, she'd grown and changed too much to regain the past innocence she was nostalgic about.

He did however believe she could be happy again and he'd do whatever it took to make that happen.

So he started some digging of his own. 

There was one angle that no-one seemed to have explored, one that wasn't covered in the infinity box. One which was constantly on Nolan's mind.

Emily had seen a woman in the beachhouse a few times before her father was arrested, and she believed it was Victoria, though no-one had paid the hysterical young girl any attention. But if Victoria had been having an affair with David, it lent more weight to the idea she had been grooming him to take the fall for her crimes. And if there was a soulmate mark involved that would be, if not proof, damaging and scandalous enough to make people look at Victoria's claims afresh. Or so Nolan hoped.

So he started looking into the soulmate marks of Victoria Grayson née Harper and David Clarke. It took a bit of digging, not just hacking into the confidential database, but retrieving information that had been deleted. Victoria had used her wealth to cover her tracks here as well as in every other area of her life. Yet however good her hacker had been, unless she'd paid off an employee to delete the records, Nolan was better.

David Clarke had registered with the database many years ago. He'd borne Victoria's name, though what had happened to it was another matter. Worse, the bond was requited. Victoria had also registered with the database but asked for her details to be archived soon after, possibly when she'd set her sights on Conrad and his wealth. (The record had been scrubbed later but not well enough.) Yet a few weeks before his arrest David had updated his status to reflect that he'd found his soulmate,

It was a fresh stab of grief and betrayal for Nolan to know that the one person who should have loved David Clarke most had betrayed him utterly; if his soulmate had framed him then what did that say for the soulbond?

Nolan made copies of the information ensuring it would be made public even if the next part of his plan didn't work.

He wore a small camera on his lapel and set up a livestream.

He was going to confront Victoria and yes, maybe it was a stupid idea, but it was the best one he had.

Before he headed out to the Grayson manor, he sent Emily and Jack a text with the link to the video. He'd got further messages queued up on social media sites so that the livestream would get a healthy audience and he'd made sure the footage would be uploaded to the cloud too.

Emily frowned at the message, even more puzzled when Jack said he'd got one too. They'd been having coffee at the beach house and now Emily pushed aside her cup and typed the link into the laptop.

Onscreen they watched as Nolan was granted an audience with Victoria in her study.

"I've recently become aware of some information," Nolan said casually. "Information about David Clarke."

Victoria leaned back in her chair. "Everything about that case is over."

"I don't think so. For example, it's not common knowledge that you were having an affair with him. That he was your soulmate," Nolan said. He paused, gave a wry smile before he added, "And you were his."

Victoria sat up, alert. She stared at him, a venomous look in her eyes. "That is a blatant lie."

"I have proof. Evidence you tried to delete from the database. You've tried to scrub away your mark no doubt but I'm guessing there's a scar somewhere that used to be his name on your skin. Many people hold the soulbond as sacred yet you gave evidence against your soulmate. Does Conrad know the truth about your relationship with David Clarke? You hid your connection to him; what else are you hiding? People will talk if this becomes public knowledge. Gossip like this sells a lot of magazines."

She looked away and then gave in.

"What is it you want? Money?" Victoria pulled open the top desk drawer.

"Get away from there," Nolan said, pulling a gun, concerned in case she was about to draw a weapon. He had to focus on holding the weapon still. He didn’t like the idea of carrying a gun but he'd had to come prepared to defend himself.

Victoria lifted one eyebrow and both hands in a mocking gesture. "I was reaching for my checkbook."

Nolan shook his head. "You can't buy your way out of this, Victoria."

She sat down at the desk, hands on the mahogany top, long sleeves brushing the polished wood. "What do you want?"

"For you to admit your part in the framing of David Clarke."

She scoffed. "First it's a soulmark and now it's a conspiracy?"

"We both know it's true."

Victoria sneered. "You think I'll call a press conference and admit what I did, face a lifetime in prison, just to avoid you revealing the truth about my soulbond? Do you think Conrad even cares at this point in our lives? Do you think I'm the only one to cover up a mark?"

She was over-confident, possibly provoked by the latent touch of her soulmate mark, as Nolan had hoped. Love could make you reckless, your soulmate mark could make you risk it all.

"It would be scandalous," Nolan persisted. "That you spoke against your soulmate will be unforgivable. To have framed him, even the idea of it, will ensure you're treated far worse than if he was any other lover you were committing adultery with. It's more like framing a family member. Though I wouldn't put that past you either."

Victoria gave a humourless laugh.

"What happened to his mark anyway?" Nolan asked. "That's the one thing I've not been able to find out."

Victoria shrugged. "I spilled hot water over him, as if it was an accident. The resulting scar tissue damaged the skin enough that my name was no longer legible. I cried about it and the fool believed me, saying my name would always be written upon his heart."

Nolan swallowed bile.

"He loved you and you got him killed."

"I learned early in life that you are a victim or you take control. I took control."

"You ruined his life! You ruined his daughter's life!"

Victoria brushed this aside with a sweep of one elegantly manicured hand. "I chose my life. My family's lives. And I would do it again. Just as I'd cut his name from my flesh with a razor again."

"You did that?"

She gave a smile full of pride. "Yes. Making it illegible before I had the means to get a discreet plastic surgeon to hide the scars."

Nolan felt his blood surge, his mark warm at the very idea of trying to cut away the evidence of his bond with Emily, unrequited as it was.

Victoria shook her head. "I have faced scandal before, Nolan Ross, and I have a way of coming out of it unscathed, taking control of the story and making myself the innocent victim. As I did with David Clarke. Tell the press I had his soulmate mark, there's no evidence except the data you hacked into illegally–and who is to say you didn't manufacture it while you were snooping in those confidential files."

Nolan swallowed and she smirked.

"I have faced armed men too, and you do not scare me. I doubt you have it in you to shoot." A thought occurred and she asked, "Is the weapon even loaded?"

Nolan lowered the gun. "No," he admitted, knowing it was better that he wasn't actually holding her at gunpoint when the police showed up. "I only brought it to discourage you from shooting me. I'm not here to kill you."

Victoria lowered her hands to her lap before she got gracefully got to her feet. "Then let's be reasonable. There must be something else you want."

She stalked towards him, long sleeves covering her hands.

"For you to know that everything you just said went out live on the Internet," Nolan said. He pointed to his collar. "Buttonhole cam. Smile, you're about to go viral."

Victoria stared at him, the colour draining from her already pallid face. "You bastard," she spat and then she struck out at him.

Nolan stepped back, gazed down at his chest. Victoria held out her hand. An empty syringe sat in her palm.

"Pity you won't live to see the fruits of your labours," she said and fled from the room.

Nolan frowned. The room spun and he couldn't catch his breath.

He fell to the floor.


	7. seven: the closest she'd come to kissing him and this might be all they ever had

Emily, at first triumphant as Victoria's speech went out to millions of viewers, could only watch in horror as Nolan crumpled to the floor.

"Nolan!"

She ran out of the beach house and pounded across the sand, Jack a little way behind her as he called 9-1-1.

Emily ran into the house. There was no sign of any of the staff. Victoria could still be inside but Nolan was Emily's only concern. She ran to the study where she knew she'd find him sprawled on the hardwood floor.

Emily fell to her knees at Nolan's side, calling his name. She leaned over him but felt no breath from his lips and pressed her fingers to his neck, but felt no pulse.

Whatever Victoria had done to him, his heart had stopped.

This was not how it would end, Emily vowed.

"Nolan, come on!"

She tipped back his head. Part of her training had involved first aid for themselves and anyone working alongside them. She'd learnt CPR with Aiden, had practised both being his rescuer and the victim he rescued. She could do this. She had to save Nolan.

She squeezed his nostrils shut with one hand, the other on his chin, holding his mouth open. She took a deep breath and breathed into Nolan's mouth, attempting to force into his lungs.

"Emily!" Jack arrived in the house.

"In here!" Emily gave a second rescue breath.

Jack found her, knelt at the other side of Nolan. "Ambulance is on it's way."

"He's not breathing." Emily tore open Nolan's shirt. One button tore lose and bounced off across the floor. 

She stared, shocked, at his exposed chest. The name Emily Thorne in an elegant script curved across his heart, a soulmate mark she had never imagined existed, though it certainly explained a few things.

"Emily," Jack urged and she came back to herself, to the urgency of the situation.

Emily interlocked her fingers and placed them on Nolan's chest. She began compressions, counting as she pressed down. One, two, three, four, he should have told her, five, six, seven, if he died she couldn't bear it, eight, nine, Victoria would pay for this, ten, eleven, twelve, first her father and now Nolan, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, no he had to live, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen...

Jack was counting under his breath too. At thirty she paused and he pressed his fingers to Nolan's neck. "Still no pulse."

Emily gave another two breaths, watching his chest rise. She waited a moment but Nolan remained unresponsive. The closest she'd come to kissing him and this might be all they ever had.

"Come on," she demanded, beginning compressions again. "Dammit, Nolan. What were you thinking!"

His ribcage sank beneath her thrusts, stomach rising. She hadn't broken any ribs yet but he was going to bruised and sore if he survived. When, she swore. He had to live.

She stopped; Jack checked for a pulse, shook his head. He was looking doubtful and Emily felt the same but she couldn't give in.

Jack leaned over and gave Nolan two breaths, watching his chest rise and fall. Still no response.

"Let me take over," Jack said and Emily, knowing she was tiring, hesitated only a second. She let Jack give thirty compressions, helpless and terrified in a way she hadn't felt since her father had been led away in handcuffs all those years ago. She'd become harder and smarter and trained to become a weapon of vengeance so she'd never have to suffer that way again. Yet now she felt that terror, that fear of losing someone she loved, all over again.

"Come on," Jack said, rubbing one knuckle down Nolan's breastbone. "Don't let Victoria win. Don't leave us."

Emily put shaking fingers to Nolan's pulse point. Still nothing. But the ambulance was on its way, they had to keep trying.

Emily leaned over and gave another two breaths. Jack gave another round of compressions and then they switched places. The welcome sound of sirens drew near. Two breaths, thirty compressions. The paramedics arrived and Emily sat back on the floor near the desk, Jack moving to slip one arm around her while they worked.

They started an IV line, applied monitoring leads. One paramedic squeezed air from an ambubag while the other held up the discarded syringe.

"You know what was in this?"

Emily shook her head.

The two paramedics conferred, mentioned opoids, made a decision that it was worth a try. One pulled out a syringe from their kit and injected it into the IV line.

Nolan came to in a sudden gasp for air, vitals spiking.

"Nolan!" Emily was shocked, hopeful, and relieved all at once.

The paramedics tried to calm Nolan, assuring him he'd be fine, the worst was over, some sort of overdose but they'd got him back.

Emily crawled over. "Nolan," she said, stroking his hair. "They're going to take care of you. I'll be back soon."

She glanced over her shoulder to where Jack was just as relieved as she was. "Go to the hospital with him," she said. "I'll join you soon."

"Where are you going?" he asked as she got to her feet.

"To find Victoria."

Emily ran upstairs and began a methodical search but Victoria was nowhere to be found. The ambulance left and the police arrived. An FBI agent, a thirty something Asian woman named Magda Chen, joined them soon after, having seen the video, and promised they were reopening the investigation.

Emily had more evidence if they were now willing to listen to her, but, she explained, Victoria had to be found, and she needed to go and make sure Nolan was all right.

"We'll find her," Agent Chen said. "I'll give you a ride to the hospital and you can tell me everything you know, and we'll go from there."

Emily nodded, unable to do otherwise without risking arrest herself. At last someone was listening and that was thanks to Nolan.


	8. eight: anything was possible with Emily at his side

"I won't stay long, Mr Ross" Agent Chen assured Nolan, taking a seat at his bedside. "You can make a full statement once you've been released in a day or so. I've seen the footage and when we catch her, Victoria Grayson will face attempted murder for what she did to you."

"You didn't arrest her?" Nolan asked, frustrated. The doctor had been reassuring and told him that Emily was here but that the FBI wanted a word first. Nolan had agreed, but had hoped it was better news.

"She's on the run," Chen said. "Her husband Conrad Grayson was arrested at one of his clubs and has been co-operating with our investigation."

"I bet he is," Nolan said. No doubt to throw more blame at Victoria and try and avoid or reduce the jail time he was looking at

Chen gave a small smile. "Daniel Grayson has been forthcoming, though it's clear he didn't know about his parents' past. He's sent his sister to France to stay with friends until the worst of this blows over."

"They're going to suffer, emotionally and financially," Nolan said, feeling a twinge of guilt. Daniel, for all his faults (his many, many, faults), was innocent of Victoria and Conrad's wrongdoings, and Charlotte was blameless. No doubt the Grayson assets had been frozen and the press was going wild.

"Daniel has some assets we can't touch but yes, they will be impacted."

"I'll see to it," Nolan murmured, eyes closing for a moment. He would ensure Charlotte got to go to school, somewhere nice, somewhere exclusive with good opportunities. He wouldn't risk creating another vengeful Amanda/Emily in Charlotte, who was facing a life without her parents and with the shadow of their crimes hanging over her. He, and no doubt, Emily, wouldn't let innocents suffer.

He forced his eyes back open and Chen frowned.

"I'm sorry, I know you've been through a lot. Just a few questions," she said. "How did you know about the soulmate marks shared by Victoria Grayson and David Clarke?"

"A bluff," Nolan said.

"You didn't happen to hack into the database then?"

Nolan gave a slight shrug. "If you're accusing me of something then this interview is over and you can come back when my legal team is present."

She held up her hands. "Okay. I'm not looking to jam you up. You helped expose a terrible injustice, the public court of opinion is on your side, and you have the resources to fight anything we could attempt to charge you with."

As the Graysons once had, and while their known bank accounts were inaccessible they still probably had funds and resources, people who owed them favours. Victoria might still escape justice.

As if she'd read his mind, Chen's next question moved to Victoria's whereabouts.

"You and Ms Thorne seem to have extensively researched the Grayson family," Chen said. "Do you have any idea where Victoria might have gone?"

Nolan shook his head. "Manhattan, maybe. They have an apartment there but I'm sure you're looking into that. If I were her I'd have taken a private plane somewhere with no extradition treaty."

"We thought the same," she agreed. "No sign of her so far but we will keep searching. We will find her."

If they didn't, Nolan vowed, he would.

"I'll let you get some rest," Chen said, getting to her feet and placing a business card on the beside cabinet. "If you think of anything pertinent in the meantime, contact me immediately. We'll be in touch."

She left. Nolan closed his eyes again. It was over and yet it wasn't, was it? The investigation would go on for months if not years, the media would milk it for decades, and Victoria damn her, had got away.

When he opened his eyes again the sun had moved to stream through the blinds.

"Hey." Emily was sat at his side.

"Ems."

"I wanted to see you," she said. "But the FBI wanted to speak to you first and then you were asleep again. My God, Nolan. I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm here," he said.

She took his hand in hers and warmth spread through him, reassuring him despite what she said next. "Victoria got away."

"I know."

"I couldn't go after her and save you. But I will find her."

"We'll find her," Nolan said. Anything was possible with Emily at his side. If this was what an unrequited bond felt like, a requited one must be every ounce of stardust and honey the poets spoke of.

She shook her head. "You already nearly got killed once! It was stupid and reckless to confront her."

"It worked."

Emily sighed. "There's a lot we have to talk about. But when you're feeling better."

"Like what?"

She gazed at him for a long time. "I saw your mark," she admitted. "Jack and I had to give you CPR and it was impossible to miss it."

He closed his eyes again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her tone was hushed rather than confrontational.

"Would it have made a difference?" he asked. He blinked, emotionally overwrought now. "You were focused on your revenge. I wasn't even sure it meant you, given that your birth name is Amanda Clarke. And it's not as if finding your soulmate means a happy ending. I didn't want to complicate things."

Emily released him and got to her feet. She paced the room. "You asked all those questions about soulbonds and I thought...it doesn't matter. I know now. And we will talk about it."

"That sounds like a threat more than a promise."

She moved back to his side, leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'll come back soon," she said and that did sound like a promise.

She left and Nolan settled back and drifted off to sleep.

Jack arrived first thing next morning in response to Nolan's summons, bringing him some clean clothes as instructed.

"You sure about this?" Jack asked.

"Yes." Nolan was going to leave today, no matter how many Against Medical Advice forms he had to sign. He wasn't fully recovered but the soreness wouldn't be helped lying here, and his mental state would be much improved by being back home and using his skills to try and find Victoria, and he said as much.

Jack nodded, clearly not convinced. "You were dead," he said. "Emily and I–Amanda, I guess? We did what we could, but if wasn't until the paramedics showed up they got you back."

"And how long do I have stay here before I've earned my right to be alive?" Nolan asked, throwing back the bedcovers. "My heart rate's normal, there's no sign of any drugs left in my system, what damage was done is done, and what bruising remains will fade."

Jack handed over the clothing. "Okay. You scared me, is all. Both of us."

"Where is Emily?"

"Talking to the FBI. I already spoke to them and they got the idea pretty quickly that I know nothing about this. Not even Emily's real name." Jack shook his head, despondent.

"Hey," Nolan said. "She didn't tell you because it was safer that way. I mean, look at all that happened, including my temporary death. Going up against the Graysons is a dangerous business."

Jack shrugged. "I guess so. It's just been a lot to find out."

"Besides, Emily is her real name now," Nolan said. "She switched it with Emily Thorne, who became Amanda Clarke, all quietly but legally done."

Jack tipped his head. "And she's your soulmate."

Nolan nodded. "It would seem so." There was denying the strength of his feelings for her, no matter how casual he tried to appear.

"I get now, why you said it was complicated." Jack sighed. "Though so much for you not making hasty decisions."

Nolan had to give Jack that one.

"Were you ever going to tell Emily about the soulmark?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," Nolan said. "Maybe, once we'd exposed Victoria. But now Emily knows the truth and Victoria has disappeared and everything's a mess."

Jack put one hand on his shoulder. "You're alive," he said. "Conrad's under arrest and the FBI are looking for Victoria. It will all work out."

Nolan gave a wry smile. "I admire your optimism. Give me five minutes to get dressed and another few to fill out the paperwork and we'll get out of here. I want to start hunting Victoria myself."


	9. nine: a new life, one free from revenge

Once home, Nolan had to assure Jack that he was fine and yes, he'd call if he wasn't, and please just let him get on with finding Victoria.

"The FBI's got a BOLO out on her," Jack said, trying to persuade Nolan to do nothing more strenuous than go and sleep in his own bed.

"The FBI who let David Clarke die in prison?" Nolan snapped, a little harsher than he'd intended and Jack held up his hands in defeat and left.

Nolan sat on the sofa with his laptop and began accessing surveillance footage he was absolutely not legally allowed to view. He heard the front door and rolled his eyes, assuming Jack had come back.

"Still fine," he said.

"Are you?"

His head whipped round at the sound of Emily's voice. "Emily."

"Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

"I'm fine," he repeated, "and I need to find Victoria. This isn't over until she pays, we both know that, and I want this over."

One way or another. And then maybe he'd disappear off to somewhere tropical and drink cocktails or maybe Emily would leave the Hamptons and he'd stay here and drink cocktails, and he'd think about doing that thing he'd read about where you ceremonially cut or burned away your soulmate mark. He'd weigh up how the physical pain of removing the mark might temporarily outweigh the emotional loss he'd feel once she was gone from his life.

His hand shook a little, from emotional rather than physical causes and he tapped at a few keys a little harder than necessary.

Emily's expression softened and she came to sit alongside him, dropping her purse on the seat next to her.

"Nolan, we need to talk."

He sighed dramatically and put the laptop down on the table. "I was stupid and reckless, is that what you want to hear?"

"No. We need to talk about your mark. You have my name on your chest. You're my soulmate."

He shrugged, pretending disinterest, let his eyes wander back to the screen, though it was too far away for him to pick out much detail. "You've made it clear you don't have feelings for me."

"Of course I have feelings for you! Weren't you listening when I told you that at the hospital? How upset I was that I almost lost you?"

If he admitted feeling anything he might lose control and that wasn't something he wanted, not right now. Before she knew the truth he had never been concerned about letting Emily see him weak, see him cry. But now he felt vulnerable and exposed in a way he hadn't before. If–when she turned her back on him, he needed to pretend it didn't hurt. He'd had practice at this; the bullies in high school, the corporate backstabbers, his own father... you took the hit and you pretended not to feel the sting and you walked away. You grieved later, alone, never letting anyone see your pain.

Your soulmate should be the person you could let see you, all of you. Yet Nolan bit down on his lip, unable to say anything, eyes fixed on the screen but seeing very little.

"I've been hiding who I am from everyone except you," Emily said. "You know I was Amanda Clarke and I couldn't have come this far without your help. I was so scared to let anyone in that I even tried to keep you at a distance. First because I didn't want to trust anyone, then because I wanted to focus on my revenge, and also because I was scared–and with good reason–of what might happen to anyone close to me. But also because I didn't want to get hurt again. I couldn't fall apart while I was working to clear my father's name."

Nolan nodded, still silent.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"You had a mission, I get it." That he could handle. It was the issue of the soulbond that concerned him, that he had her name and she didn't have his, despite how strongly he felt about her, no matter that he was convinced he felt their connection–the energy that even now was filling him with warmth.

"That's not it. You don't understand." Emily shook her head. "I was hiding something from you too."

She opened her purse and pulled out a small UV light, usually used for hardening gel nail polish.

Nolan watched as she let the light play over the double infinity tattoo. The ink fluoresced, except in places where it didn't, the black lines spelling out Nolan L Ross in small neat script.

"Your soulmate mark," Nolan said, stunned.

Emily put the light aside. "Yes. It appeared shortly after you gave me the NolCorp shares. But I couldn't let you or anyone else distract me. I knew I had to hide it, but I also knew it was a part of me, even if it was one I couldn't yet accept let alone admit."

Nolan stood and moved to pour two drinks.

"I read up on ways to disguise the marks," Emily said. "I found a tattoo artist who had experience with hiding marks and had access to some specially developed ink. No-one can see your name on my wrist but it's still there, and now you know it is."

Nolan sipped his drink, his mind whirling. All this time he'd thought his soulbond was unrequited and the matching mark, his name on Emily's skin, had been under his nose.

"Nolan," Emily said. "Say something."

"Something," he quipped weakly. He moved back to the sofa, handed her a glass which she put aside. She put one hand on his knee.

"I didn't know you had my name," Emily said. "Certainly not this name, not who I am now. Nolan, you are my soulmate and I am yours. And now my father's name will be cleared, and I can begin to build a new life, one free from revenge. One where I'm free to be who I want to be. One where I can fall in love."

He nodded, overwhelmed.

"Please, Nolan. Aren't you happy? Are you angry? It's okay, whatever you feel, it's all right. Just let's talk about this."

"I love you," Nolan said softly. "Everything else is something we can mull over later."

Emily closed her eyes briefly in relief.

"Even if you weren't my soulmate, even if I hadn't seen my name," she said, "I knew how much I loved you when I almost lost you. Don't do that to me again."

Nolan put his glass down. "Ems," he said and leaned over.

They kissed and the frisson of excitement was like nothing he'd felt before. Warmth spread from his mark, and any residual pain faded as the feeling of love and safety spread through his whole body.

They spent a few minutes kissing, hands on faces, caressing hair, holding each other close, Nolan rubbing one thumb across Emily's jawline, she burying her head into his shoulder before kissing his neck, dozens of little acts of intimacy, each special in their own way.

Emily sat back, licked her lower lip. She gave him a shy smile. After all her brazenness, her calculated seduction of Daniel, her righteous anger, now she was showing Nolan her softer side and he adored it.

"How touching."

They both turned their heads to find Victoria, wearing a dark coat and a headscarf, holding a gun on them.

"Victoria," Emily said coldly.

"I thought you'd had the sense to flee the country," Nolan said.

"And I thought I'd killed you," Victoria said. "I'd been keeping that syringe for just such an emergency; another drug overdose in the Hamptons isn't so suspicious. But we were both wrong."

"The FBI are coming to interview me," Nolan said, only a partial bluff. No doubt Chen would visit or at least phone once she heard he'd left the hospital. "If you leave now you can still get away."

Victoria shook her head. "You two have ruined me," she said. "My name, my family, my assets. There's nothing left for me but to ruin you both too."

Emily glanced at Nolan and maybe it was their shared experiences these past few months and how he'd got good at understanding her expressions, or maybe it was their soulbond, but he knew what she needed. A distraction.

"May I finish my scotch?" Nolan asked, reaching out slowly. "It would be a shame to waste it. You can pour yourself one if you like."

Victoria frowned. She must be wondering at his relaxed tone, perhaps wondering if she was again on video or the FBI was already here.

Nolan got to his feet and Victoria pointed the gun solely at him. He took a sip of the amber liquid. If Emily was going to do something she better do it soon.

"I'm sorry it came to this," Nolan said. "You made one bad decision and it snowballed, didn't it? You never meant for any of this to happen. For your son and daughter to face the effects of having both parents outed as murderers. If you let us live, Emily and I will help them through this."

A flicker of grief for Daniel and Charlotte showed on her face before Victoria glared at him, though her voice was somewhat shaky when she said, with admirable bravado, "You have two seconds to finish your drink."

"He can take as long as he wants," Emily said. She'd pulled a gun from her purse and was now pointing it at Victoria.

"You–"

Whatever Victoria was going to say she never got to finish. Emily didn't hesitate as she pulled the trigger. The shot hit Victoria in the middle of her forehead and she collapsed to the floor, wide-eyed and unmistakably dead.

Nolan did finish his drink, his hand shaking a little, as Emily went to kick Victoria's gun aside and reassure herself that their enemy was finally gone.

"It's over?" Nolan said.

"It's over." Emily moved to hug him and they held each other for a long moment.

Nolan's phone rang and he pulled away so he could answer it.

"Mr Ross, this is Agent Chen-"

"Glad to hear from you, " he interrupted her. "Could you come to my house and bring a forensics team. Victoria Grayson's here and I'm afraid you won't be able to arrest her because, well, she's dead."

_epilogue_

"There's no rush," Nolan said. "You can take as much time as you need to figure out what you want to do next. There's only one proviso; please don't leave me behind."

"I couldn't if I wanted to," Emily said. They were walking hand in hand along the beach, the sun just beginning to dip towards the horizon. "We belong together."

She felt a little lost without her quest for vengeance and the endless possibilities were overwhelming. He'd offered her a position at NolCorp, he'd suggested she play philanthropist and join or start up a charity, he'd only half-joked about her starting a private detective agency. She'd find her niche, and he'd be at her side, supporting her, whatever happened.

The investigation would drag on but the accompanying media circus would die down, flaring up now and again, but they could survive that, as could Daniel and Charlotte.

The scars they bore from everything that had happened over the years would never leave them but they would fade. Their soulmate marks never would.

They paused at the edge of the water and Emily wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in for a gentle kiss.

"I know what I do want," she said.

"Anything."

"A puppy."

Nolan thought about chewed furniture and toilet training and then he thought about walks on the beach and all three of them cuddling up on the sofa, each evening as a family and how happy it would make Emily, who'd never got the chance to raise Sammy, though Jack had taken good care of him.

"If we must," he said. "But I get to pick the name."

And, bickering and laughing over potential puppy names, they headed back home.


End file.
